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Leslie James Pickering is a co-owner of Burning Books, a friendly local radical bookstore in his hometown of Buffalo, New York.

Leslie is also known for being a vocal advocate of freedom struggles and having been spokesperson for the Earth Liberation Front Press Office between 1997 and 2002. The Press Office received anonymous communiqués from the underground Earth Liberation Front, claiming responsibility for numerous large-scale sabotage actions in defense of the Earth. Through the Press Office and otherwise, Leslie has been an outspoken advocate for autonomy and wilderness.

In 2012, Leslie uncovered evidence that the FBI had him and Burning Books under federal surveillance and investigation. The Bureau put Leslie on a secret list for heightened security screenings at airports, subpoenaed his financial records, contracted the post office to send them photocopies of his mail and more. Leslie responded with a public and legal campaign to resist and expose this repression of free speech. Attorney Michael Kuzma has led Leslie's legal team through a series of Freedom Of Information Act lawsuits, forcing the FBI to release the over 30,000 pages of files it has on him by July of 2017.